After The Printer
by Wesz
Summary: AU Sciam series "After The Scene Ends" / One-shot with a lot of angst ending in fluffiness. Liam can't sleep and then his printer goes off. And, obviously, Scott's there to calm him down.


Liam stares up at his ceiling, back against the bed, before he decides to roll onto his side. Again. He puts a hand under his head. Again. He shifts into a more comfortable position. Again. And for the seventh time that night, he tries to catch some sleep.

But as soon as he closes his eyes, he can hear the rumbling sounds of bones grinding against each other. Animalistic grunts sound behind him and he knows it's not real. He knows the Berserkers aren't really in his room. He knows, because he's already checked the window twice and it's locked. If the Berserkers were in his room, he should at least have been able to hear the shattering of the glass. And he hasn't. He hasn't heard it cracking, so no one could be in his room.

Nonetheless, he opens his eyes - again - to see if the evil beings have decided to be more polite and come through his bedroom door.

They haven't. The door is still closed.

Back to sleep. He needs to sleep. They have an important test tomorrow. And even though Liam couldn't concentrate enough during the day to take in the knowledge the chemistry text book had been trying to provide him, he needed to sleep. He'd even put the book under his pillow after some wishful thinking. The fifteen year-old was convinced that if he literally slept on it, the knowledge would soak through the pillow and into his brain. And then he'd be able to take the test and pass.

That's the only hope he has. The only normal thing in his life he can latch onto.

But he won't fall asleep. The Berserkers will not leave him alone. No, scratch that. His mind will not leave him alone.

His eyes fall shut again and Liam tries to distract himself by focusing on his breathing. In and out. Clean air entering and leaving his lungs, drowning out the silence.

But then he hears something odd. Alerted, he pushes himself up onto his elbows, where he takes note of something he can't trace. A feeling that something is wrong. A piece of paper falls from his printer. At first, he grips the covers of his bed tightly and pulls them up to his chin, terrified at the stupid piece of technology.

Although, maybe it's just his step-dad printing something and accidentally hitting the upstairs printer, instead of its twin downstairs. It would be weird, seeing as though it was half past one in the morning, but still, it could be possible.

The boy claws himself to the end of his bed and gets up, frowning when he sees short sentences and a Courier New font. Hunching down, he takes one of the papers from the floor. Immediately he recognizes the names displayed on it and the numbers behind them as the Deadpool. His feet feel cold against the carpet as he looks around himself. No Berserkers. No danger...well, present danger at least.

He gets up and presses the "off"-button, expecting the action to kill the machine. But it doesn't. It doesn't turn off. It keeps printing and that's when Liam's heart rate speeds up. He presses the button again. And again. And again. He punches it until he's pretty sure it will break if he doesn't stop.

By now his floor is filled with Deadpool contracts and it freaks him out. Some names are crossed off, and when he steps on them he feels like the soles of his feet are standing on dead bodies. He licks his lips and rushes towards the plug, killing the power.

And just like that, there's the cruel reminder of just how messed up his life is.

He gathers up the papers and puts them on his desk before he lays back down in bed. It's useless, but he does it anyway. For a second he debates about going for a jog, but he doubts that running will help with his paranoia. So he pulls his covers back up again and tries to become one with his mattress.

Meanwhile, werewolf Scott McCall is standing outside his bedroom window. He digs his heels into the ground before he sets off and jumps onto his beta's house. He grabs the rain pipe, holds on to the edge of the roof and sneaks to the side where he's sure Liam's room is. Upside down, he peeks through the window, seeing the boy in his bed with his back turned towards him.

Scott lets out a relieved sigh. After everything that had happened with Garrett and the well and with Scott faking his death last week, he had vowed to himself to pay more attention to his beta. Liam had been struggling to cope with all the new and dangerous situations and Scott felt responsible for him. He /was/ responsible for him. And, even though he didn't like to admit it, Liam hadn't been his first priority the past few weeks.

So Scott decided to change that, which is why he was now crouching over the roof to make sure his beta was safe and okay.

Liam pricks up his ears when he hears muffled sounds coming from outside. He sighs, telling himself they are just birds building a nest and that he should really try to go to sleep.

Scott's eyes flash red and he scans the room for entities. There are no other heartbeats except for the ones of the other sleeping inhabitants of the household. Then, his eyes fall onto the stack of paper piled up on Liam's printer. He focuses in and recognizes what they say. Scott tilts his head, wondering why Liam would have so many copies of the Deadpool on his desk. Then, his werewolf hearing picks up on some mumbled words.

"There's no one there... Go to sleep... Sleep..."

Scott frowns.

"You're safe. No one's there. You don't have to look behind you." Liam's whispering to himself.

Scott's eyebrows shoot upwards. Liam can't sleep! He's scared and thinks someone's haunting him! And, well, technically that's true, but it's him, Scott, his alpha! He shouldn't be scared of him. He has to let Liam know that he's not going crazy, but that he's alright. So, with a gentle smile, Scott taps on the window with his claw.

But, to Liam, in a silent bedroom, that sounds like a Berserker trying to cut through the glass. His eyes flash yellow and he immediately wolfs out, falling out of his bed in shock. His heart is pounding against his rib cage as he quickly gets up from the floor and throws the covers off his trapped legs. Tears well up in his eyes, because...well, he hadn't been able to fight off the Berserkers with the help of Kira, so how was he supposed to do it all by himself? Despite Scott trying to convince him of the contrary, Liam wasn't strong. He was still getting used to his new werewolf powers and he sure as hell couldn't fully control them yet.

He takes a deep breath and then turns around, facing his demons. All these movements and thoughts had only happened in a time span of two seconds, and Liam feels helpless.

But then he's looking at the goofy smile that is his alpha's. The asshole is even waving theatrically at him.

Liam walks up to his window and unlocks it, in the meantime trying to calm the wolf inside of himself. When it opens, Scott lets himself in with a back flip and immediately Liam asks him what the hell he thinks he's doing.

"I came to check up on you," the seventeen year-old explains with an obvious look on his face. "You know, to see if you're safe and okay and stuff..."

Liam blinks up at him in disbelief. For a moment, he is sure that no matter how many Berserkers or Benefactors or any other evil come to Beacon Hills, in the end Scott McCall will be the death of him. Whether it be by scaring him into a heart attack, or by his cute and unexpected actions.

"Well, I am okay. I'm fine," Liam bites, still a little mad that Scott has scared him like that.

Scott nods, not breaking eye contact. His facial expression is still calm as always with a warm look. "Then why do you have more than twenty copies of the Deadpool on your desk?" he asks matter-of-factly, pointing guiltily at them.

"Because my printer went off and it wouldn't stop! It just started printing!" Liam answers, his eyes still shining a bright yellow.

Scott continues to stare into them, examining his beta's appearance as he does. He smells fear. "You're scared," he points out bluntly.

"Yes! Because someone I haven't known for that long decided to show up at my bedroom window at 1.45 in the morning!"

Scott smirks. "Well, at least you're admitting it now."

Liam crunches his teeth together. He is so not in the mood for Scott's stupid attempts at humor. He balls his fists.

His alpha frowns at him, sensing Liam's anger is replacing the earlier fear. "Hey," he says in a low voice, unzipping his jacket, "calm down."

He puts his hands over Liam's, rubbing his knuckles soothingly. "Relax..." he adds. "I'm sorry for startling you."

Liam breathes heavily through his nostrils. Deep pants make his chest heave and he tries to release his fingers from their own tight grip, but his muscles are resisting. He tries the same with his jaw, but it's definitely locked. His yellow eyes fire up more, but his eyebrows crease into a scared frown. He looks down, searches his mind for handlebars that he can use to hold onto and keep his calm, but it draws a blank. He looks back up at Scott.

Scott continues to rub his knuckles, which have now turned white from clenching them. "Calm down," he repeats. "I'm sorry. You're okay."

He could use his alpha powers and force Liam to lay off, but he refuses to roar at the boy. "Don't be mad," he therefore says. "I'm just making sure you're okay, because you're my beta, remember?"

Liam shakes head. Not because he doesn't remember, but because Scott's words don't help. He feels trapped inside of his own body, fighting off the angry wolf that wants to push through and rip Scott to pieces. A deep whine sounds from his throat and he shakes his head again.

Scott frowns until it suddenly hits him what's going on. He moves his right hand from Liam's fist, up his arm towards his chest and softly starts to put pressure on it. "Calm down." He presses a bit harder and Liam has to take a step back or else he will lose his balance. "Control it. You can do it."

But Liam shakes his head again, desperation visible on his features.

"You can," Scott says, continuing to push him backwards. "I know you can. You're strong, Liam."

Liam's body starts quivering as the wolf inside of him begins hammering on the insides of his skin. He starts to sweat, feeling like he's going to explode out of his body. It's like he's trying to keep a cage locked, but just about withstanding the pressure against the cage's door. He shakes his head again. His teeth start to hurt as they grind against each other and he is pretty sure his knuckles are about to burst. Another shake of his head. He can't hold back. He's not strong enough. Not when he also has to deal with his I.E.D.

So Liam breaks. He roars and his claws rip through his nails, digging into his palms. His teeth sharpen and he bites at Scott's wrist, whose hand is still on Liam's chest.

Just in time, the alpha retrieves his hand. Sweat is overtaking the honey and suddenly Liam isn't as sweet and boyish anymore. He ducks when the werewolf swings an arm at him, swiftly avoiding the hit. Sliding behind Liam, the more experienced wolf hooks his feet behind the boy's ankles, spreading his legs apart. His arms wrap around the boy's waist and move up. The crooks of his elbows find Liam's shoulders and he traps the boy's flinging arms, stretching them out, away from his body. Scott flexes his strong biceps before he lets himself fall backwards against the wall. He leans against it so they won't fall over. Using the brick to his advantage, he tightens his grip some more and keeps the other wolf steady.

He presses his chest against Liam's back. "Breathe," he demands, still refusing to use his alpha powers. "Breathe with me, Liam." He inhales deeply, pressing his rib cage forward, forcing Liam's shoulder blades backwards and his back to hollow. Then, he exhales, towering his upper body over the boy to force the air out of Liam's lungs again. Scott repeats the movement. "Breathe with me."

Liam's wolf side grumbles, but his body can't do anything but to oblige to Scott's forceful grip. Over and over, Scott keeps breathing with him. "It's okay," he assures, voice soft, his mouth close to Liam's ear. He feels the boy's body starting to relax in his arms. "You're okay."

Liam slumps against Scott's frame, letting his back fall against his alpha's broad chest. His bare feet slip from their place on the carpet and it hurts when Scott tries to hold him up by his armpits.

The older teen realizes this and quickly moves his arms around his sides. Liam's limbs fall next to his body, but his hands move to hold onto Scott's grip. His knees buckle and he feels weak again, yet he relaxes in Scott's embrace, letting his head fall forward, panting heavily.

Scott continues to keep his quivering body close to him. "You're okay," he repeats once more, letting out a deep breath himself. Liam nods in confirmation.

"Thanks," he mutters as Scott lets go of him. He turns around, not daring to look at the taller guy. A slight shade of red creeps onto his cheeks; a hint of shame that he had tried to hurt his alpha. He presses his forehead against Scott's chest. "I'm sorry."

"No. I am. I shouldn't have shown up unannounced. Especially not with all the assassins out there," Scott contradicts. He ruffles Liam's hair, throwing a sincere smile at him even though the boy can't see it.

Liam mumbles something that Scott can't hear. The only reason why he's sure the beta said something is because he could feel the vibrations of his vocal chords. He pushes Liam away a bit so that he can look at him. "What?"

The light of the moon illuminates the side of Liam's face, giving it a silver glow, but behind that is a fierce blush. "I said, I'm glad you're here."

A sudden warmth spreads through Scott's chest, exploding inside of his heart and moving through his veins. The senses in his fingertips tickle and he can't resist looking at Liam much longer. He just wants to pick the boy up, take him into his lap, cradle him in his arms and keep him safe like that until he dies.

But he doesn't.

"Are you?" he asks instead, remembering the fear he had seen in Liam's eyes earlier. Maybe the boy was lying when he had said it was because of Scott's sudden arrival.

Liam nods, quietly pulling on the laces of his sweatpants. The floor had suddenly become really fucking interesting.

"Why's that?" Scott pushes, concern already painting his face. He tries to catch Liam's gaze again.

The smaller boy rubs his upper arm, shrugging a little. "I, err..." he hesitates. God, it was so much more difficult to be honest with Scott when he wasn't in the adrenalin rush of a near death experience or angry. "I, err...I can't..."

"Of course you can tell me," Scott assures him. He stretches out his hand and cups Liam's cheek.

"No. No, that's not what I mean. I can't...I can't, err..." Liam bites his lip.

Scott forces his beta to look up at him. He carefully searches his eyes. Their normal color had returned; shades of blue and green and...sparkles. Like the sea. The ocean. But with stars reflecting in them. "You can't...?"

"I can't sleep." Liam almost spits the words out. He shakes Scott's hand from his cheek. "I can't sleep, because I keep thinking about Berserkers. And then the printer turned on by itself to remind me of the fact that there are people out there wanting to murder us and if that isn't enough I see bones and claws and pain when I close my eyes and I just can't sleep." He looks at Scott, holding his hands up in a helpless manner. "I can't sleep."

"Because you keep thinking that someone's coming to get you?" Scott asks, a sad tone in his voice.

"Yeah..." Liam shifts uncomfortably. "I know you think I'm strong, but I'm really not, Scott. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for Liam, remember? It's okay to feel scared and-"

"You keep saying that but how do I deal with it? I have to sleep. I can't live without sleep. My body needs to rest. Especially when I need to fight off assassins, Berserkers and the Benefactor. Where am I going to get my strength from? I already have almost no energy, no resources to draw from and that's only getting worse. I need to sleep!" He feels himself getting upset again, so he bites his tongue.

Scott notices it, too. He thinks for a moment and then an idea comes to his mind.

"I'll stay with you," he prompts.

Liam frowns, but Scott gives him a lopsided smile.

"You what?"

"I'm staying until you fall asleep."

"You're crazy."

"Doesn't matter. I'm staying," the alpha shrugs casually.

Liam gapes at him. "But you need to sleep as well. What if I lie awake till morning?"

Without doubt, Scott answers, "Then I will, too." He's already taking off his leather jacket. "But, trust me, you won't." He drapes an arm around Liam's shoulder and leads him back to his bed. "I'm an awesome sleep guardian. You can ask Stiles. After the thing with the Nogitsune - you know, that evil spirit thing I told you about - I helped him sleep, too. Or, come to think of it, don't ask him. He will kill me for telling you."

Liam can't help but chuckle at Scott's rambling. He lets himself be guided into the bed. Once in, he wants to pull the covers up, but Scott does it for him. At the realization that Scott is actually _tucking him in_, his face suddenly warms with the heat of a million suns. Yet, he doesn't complain.

"So what are you gonna do?" He asks curiously.

"I'm gonna take one of your comics..." Scott answers, grabbing a bundle from Liam's nightstand, "...and read."  
>He lays down next to Liam, on top of the covers. "Right here." A quick wink follows and then Scott opens the book. He directs his attention onto the images in front of him and lets out a deep sigh.<p>

From under the covers, Liam is blinking up at him. He can hardly believe the guy's being serious, but when Scott seems to actually be reading the comic, he has to. Who in the world would do this for someone? No one. No one would be as selfless as Scott McCall's being now. And he doesn't even seem to mind it at all. Hell, it looks like he's enjoying it. So weird. How can there be so much good will in one person?

"Go to sleep," Scott drags Liam out of his staring. He ruffles his hair again, not taking his eyes off of the comic.

Liam smiles. He sinks deeper into the mattress and into the softness of his sheets. With a soft sigh, he closes his eyes. His cheeks are still burning a little, but it's a nice sensation. The feeling of Scott's weight next to him, his silent breathing, his comforting presence, it grounds him.

And then finally, that night, Liam catches some sleep.


End file.
